How to Check What a Proxy IP Really Is Before You Rely On It

Two addresses can look identical in a plan table and behave completely differently, because what matters is not the address but what every site already knows about it. These are the checks we run on our own stock, and you can run the same five on any address you are given.

The quick answer

Load an IP-information page from inside the proxy and read five things: the country, the network owner, whether it is classified datacenter or ISP, whether proxy/VPN use is flagged, and whether a WebRTC or DNS test exposes your real address.

The five checks

• Exit country — read from the connection, not from the plan label. A reseller label is not evidence.
• Network owner — a consumer ISP name is a different signal from a hosting company name.
• Classification — most IP-data services mark an address as datacenter, residential, or proxy/VPN. Say which you are buying rather than letting the buyer assume.
• Leak test — DNS and WebRTC. A foreign exit with a local resolver still tells the network what you asked for.
• Consistency — request the same page twice. If the address changed, you have a rotating pool, not a static address.

What our own numbers say

In our last full sample of stock, most addresses were classified as commercial rather than home connections, and a large minority were flagged as proxy or VPN by at least one data service. We publish that because it is the honest position: an address that reads as commercial is excellent for catalogues, prices, regional checks and testing, and is not the same thing as a home connection.

Anyone telling you their proxy addresses are undetectable is either not measuring or not telling you. The measurement is a two-minute job.

What to do with the results

If the country is wrong, the address is useless for a geo-restricted job. If it is flagged proxy/VPN, expect challenges on signup and payment flows specifically. If it leaks a local resolver, fix that before drawing conclusions about the address.

Where this stops, and what solves it

No address is invisible. An IP is a public identifier, and any service that wants to classify it can — what varies is how much the classification matters to that service.

We tell you the tier you are buying, classify our own addresses honestly, and replace an address free inside the term if it stops working. One IP is $10 for 30 days, or ten for $60.

Common questions

What is the difference between datacenter and residential IPs?

Who the address is registered to. Datacenter addresses belong to hosting companies; residential belong to consumer internet providers. Residential addresses generally attract fewer challenges, at a higher price.

Why does an IP checker say my proxy is a VPN?

Public data services classify addresses by observed behaviour and registration. Use by many previous customers leaves a mark, which is why a dedicated address is less likely to carry one.

How do I test for a DNS leak?

Load a leak-test page through the proxy and check the resolver shown. If it is your local ISP, the proxy is not carrying lookups and a network filter can still see which sites you ask for.